Loss
by equalistmako
Summary: On Mako's 8th birthday, his life was changed forever...


_A little ficlet I barfed out after reading Slacktension's tags (link to said tags on my profile)_

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"D-do you remember what I t-told you this morning, Mako?" his father asked shakily, his pale hand cupping Mako's cheek weakly as he stared straight into his eyes— eyes so similar to his own.

Mako shook his head, his lower lip quivering as he attempted to keep his tears at bay.

His head was spinning. His stomach was churning. He couldn't think straight.

_It had all happened so fast._

The rain had come out of nowhere. One second, they'd been dry and warm as they had walked down the street, and the next second, they were shivering uncontrollably as the rain soaked through their clothing.

His father had laughed and suggested they run home, much to Mako's pleasure. His competitive nature had immediately overtaken him, and he'd raced ahead of them, determined to beat them home.

It had taken him a few seconds to notice he could no longer hear their footsteps slapping against the ground behind him. He'd turned around and seen the man standing in front of his parents. He hadn't been able to see what the man had been holding from that angle, but he hadn't liked the fact that his parents had looked so worried.

He hadn't even been able to take a step towards them before they were on the ground, their blood seeping out of their bodies and turning the puddles around them a sickening shade of red.

At his startled shout, the mysterious man had sprinted away, disappearing into the night with his father's wallet and his mother's purse.

He'd wanted to run after the man. He'd wanted to call the cops. He'd wanted to make the man suffer.

But he also knew there was a reason his father stopped him from running after the man. He knew there was a reason his father said not to ask for help. He knew there was a reason his father wouldn't allow him to look at his mother.

It was too late.

"I … told you this morning," his father rasped out, "that you're a big boy now. Y-you're 8 years old… and—"

He was cut off by a sudden coughing fit, blood spewing from his chapped lips. Mako recoiled, horrified.

"… you're now a big boy and… and you know what that means, r-right?"

Mako shook his head again, his whole body shaking as he clutched onto his father's hand.

"You're responsible… f-for your baby brother…" his father choked out, his eyelids drooping as his skin grew paler and paler.

He reached around his neck and lifted the soggy red scarf off of his head. He shakily reached over and draped it around Mako's shoulders.

"And… as long as you wear this… I'll … be there with you… and keep …. you safe…"

"Wh-what?" Mako asked quietly.

"We love you, Mako…"

Mako watched, frozen in place, as the light faded from his father's eyes. He felt his father's grip slacken against his face. He heard his father's final breath fan out into the air between them and mingle with his own.

"… n-no…" he said, shaking his father's shoulders lightly, "no, Daddy…_ please…"_

He whimpered quietly as his father's unresponsive body fell back onto the pavement with a sickening thud.

Desperate, he crawled over to his mom's body and put his chubby hands on her face, lifting her head off of the ground slightly. He had to swallow back bile as blood gushed out of her neck and onto the pavement.

"Mommy? Please listen to me. Wake up. You're not … d-dead… you can't be…"

Defeated at her lack of response, he sat back, shaking uncontrollably in the middle of the street.

He failed his parents.

He'd run off. He'd left them alone. He hadn't been there for them.

_He could've protected them_…

He shakily stood up and stumbled away from their bodies, shaking his head.

"No… NO. This is a nightmare… this is just a nightmare…" he muttered to himself over and over again.

He blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself stumbling, soaked to the bone, through his front door. Bolin's babysitter rushed into the foyer, fretting over Mako in a concerned manner.

He merely pushed her off of him and ambled into his little brother's room.

Bolin smiled up at Mako as he appeared in his doorway, dropping his toy as his bright green eyes sparkled in excitement.

"I made you somefing!" Bolin said happily, sprinting across the room with a box in his hand.

He held it out to Mako with a wide smile, oblivious to his brother's turmoil.

"Here ya go!"

Mako swallowed thickly and blinked down at his baby brother a few times.

_"You're a big boy now … you're responsible for your baby brother…"_

His father's words echoed around in Mako's head.

Mako's lip quivered and he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his little brother, unable to hold back the flood of tears any longer.

His shoulders shook as he sobbed into his brother's hair, not even worrying that he was dripping onto the carpet and getting his brother's clothing wet.

He didn't know how to tell Bolin. He didn't know how to explain how he wasn't able to protect his parents— how he wasn't able to keep them alive.

He swallowed thickly as he realized Bolin was officially the only family he had left.

"I… I love you, Bo…" he said quietly.

"Love you, too, AND HAPPY BIRFDAY!" Bolin replied happily.

He let go of his brother and stared down at him, his shoulders slumping.

"Yeah…" he muttered quietly, "happy birthday to me…"

Mako buried his face into his father's scarf, closing his eyes tightly as he attempted to block gruesome mental images from flooding his mind.

_"You're responsible for your baby brother…"_

He may've failed his parents…

But he knew for a fact that he wouldn't allow himself to fail his brother.

He also knew for a fact that he would never be the same.

He needed to be a big boy now— as his father had told him.

He'd wished, earlier that night, as he'd blown out the candles on his cake, for an adventure. He'd wished for something interesting to happen in his life— for something to change.

He couldn't help but think, bitterly, that his wish had come true.

His life _had_ been changed … _forever_.

He would never be a carefree child again.

He would never be as innocent as he once was.

He felt as if he'd aged a decade.

His childhood was officially lost…

… and, just like his parents, there was no getting it back— no matter how much he wanted it.

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_Um..._

_Yeeeeah..._

_Anyways, I suck at titles (in case you hadn't already noticed). I just kinda pulled one out of my ass at the last minute. Don't judge me. ;A;_


End file.
